United Community Banks (NYSE:UCB) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.09 EPS

Posted by Stanley Muller on Jul 23rd, 2026

United Community Banks (NYSE:UCB – Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.80 by ($0.09), Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $279.28 million for the quarter. United Community Banks had a net margin of 24.43% and a return on equity of 9.61%.

Here are the key takeaways from United Community Banks’ conference call:

United Community Banks posted a solid quarter, with operating EPS of $0.71 up 8% year over year and total revenue up 7%. Management also highlighted a sixth straight quarter of net interest margin expansion to 3.68%.
Loan growth accelerated to a 6.8% annualized pace, or 6.4% excluding Navitas, driven by stronger hiring of revenue producers. Executives said the new lending team additions are starting to show up in production and could support upper-single-digit growth next year.
Credit quality remained strong, with bank-only net charge-offs of 9 basis points and total net charge-offs of 16 basis points. Past dues and criticized loan metrics were also described as being at very low levels.
The quarter included a large non-operating benefit from releasing Navitas reserves as those loans were reclassified to held for sale, along with a one-time California lender license settlement cost tied to Navitas. Management said the Navitas sale is still expected to close early in the third quarter.
Management reiterated a strong capital return and M&A optionality outlook, including buying back the remaining shares tied to Peach State and considering additional capital deployment next year. They also said small-bank acquisition conversations remain active and could increase after Peach State closes.

United Community Banks Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of United Community Banks stock opened at $34.98 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $4.19 billion, a PE ratio of 11.51 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $34.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $33.45. United Community Banks has a 1 year low of $28.65 and a 1 year high of $37.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.82.

United Community Banks Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. United Community Banks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on UCB shares. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $40.00 target price on shares of United Community Banks in a research report on Wednesday. Hovde Group decreased their price target on shares of United Community Banks from $38.00 to $37.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 27th. Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of United Community Banks from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of United Community Banks from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised United Community Banks from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $36.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $38.80.

Read Our Latest Analysis on UCB

Trending Headlines about United Community Banks

Here are the key news stories impacting United Community Banks this week:

Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson reaffirmed its Buy rating on United Community Banks and raised its price target to $40, implying about 14.4% upside from the current share price. Benzinga report
Positive Sentiment: Company commentary and post-earnings coverage highlighted strong loan growth, sixth consecutive quarter of margin expansion, and continued focus on core banking operations, suggesting the underlying business trend remains constructive. GlobeNewswire release
Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary continue to debate whether UCB is undervalued after the earnings miss, with some articles arguing the stock still looks inexpensive relative to fair value. Yahoo Finance article
Neutral Sentiment: Several earnings recaps emphasized that UCB reported $0.71 EPS versus the $0.80 consensus and revenue of $279.3 million, reinforcing the view that the quarter was solid operationally but short of expectations. MarketBeat earnings report
Negative Sentiment: The main drag on the shares is the earnings miss, with both earnings and sales coming in below analyst estimates, which can weigh on bank stocks despite year-over-year improvement. Zacks article

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Community Banks news, EVP Richard Bradshaw sold 1,510 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.09, for a total transaction of $49,965.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 84,497 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,796,005.73. This trade represents a 1.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.45% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Community Banks

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of United Community Banks by 10.6% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 3,880 shares of the company’s stock valued at $123,000 after acquiring an additional 372 shares during the period. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in United Community Banks by 3,203.4% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 3,898 shares of the company’s stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 3,780 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in United Community Banks in the 4th quarter worth about $121,000. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC purchased a new position in United Community Banks during the second quarter worth approximately $206,000. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new position in United Community Banks during the first quarter worth approximately $177,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.29% of the company’s stock.

About United Community Banks

(Get Free Report)

United Community Banks, Inc (NYSE: UCB) is a bank holding company headquartered in Blairsville, Georgia. It operates primarily through its subsidiary, United Community Bank, providing a broad range of banking and financial services to individual, business and governmental customers. The company’s core offerings include deposit accounts, commercial and consumer lending, mortgage origination, treasury and cash management services, and wealth management.

In addition to traditional banking products such as checking, savings and money market accounts, United Community Bank specializes in commercial real estate financing, small business administration (SBA) loans, equipment financing and agricultural lending.